Pro Bowl 2015: Complete rosters
By Phil Watson
The lines have been drawn for the 2015 Pro Bowl, set for Sunday in Glendale, Ariz., with some interesting position battles between teammates set up.
The Pro Bowl rosters are set after the second day of the draft concluded as honorary captains Cris Carter and Michael Irvin made their selections.
Interestingly, Irvin—a Hall of Fame wide receiver with the Dallas Cowboys—only selected one wide receiver—Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants.
Carter—also a Hall of Famer at the wideout spot—selected three.
More from NFL
- Joe Burrow owes Justin Herbert a thank you note after new contract
- Chiefs gamble at wide receiver could already be biting them back
- Chargers loosen grip on checkbook to pay Justin Herbert: Best memes and tweets
- Patriots backup plan for DeAndre Hopkins is a shot in the dark
- Raiders: Saquon Barkley’s new contract may have screwed over Josh Jacobs
This is the second year the Pro Bowl has used the draft format, hoping to inject some spice into an AFC vs. NFC format that had grown stale and non-competitive over the last several years.
The honorary captains last year were Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders, with Team Rice eking out a 22-21 win over Team Sanders at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.
Nick Foles of the Philadelphia Eagles was the offensive MVP and Derrick Johnson of the Kansas City Chiefs picked up defensive MVP honors.
Neither player was selected for this year’s game.
However, the format change did not inspire television audiences, as NBC’s coverage of the 2014 Pro Bowl drew a 5.4 Nielsen rating, down from 7.1 the year before.
Team Rice won on a 20-yard touchdown reception from Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith to Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray with 41 seconds left, followed by a successful two-point conversion run by Mike Tolbert of the Carolina Panthers.
This is the first time the Pro Bowl has been held outside of Hawaii since 2009, when it was held the week before Super Bowl XLIV at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, and just the second time away from the Pacific islands since 1979.
The first two picks in this year’s Pro Bowl draft were Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, who went No. 1 to Team Carter, and Dallas quarterback Tony Romo, No. 2 to Team Irvin.
Dallas coach Jason Garrett and his staff will run Team Irvin, with Team Carter under the coaching of Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh and his assistants.
Next: Team Carter